The VSA Capital, 'Britain's Got Aquis', Showcase Event

Andy Brough, Schroders

Andy has managed the well-known Schroder UK Mid 250 Fund since its launch in November 1999. His investment career started in 1987 when he joined Schroders as a UK equity fund manager. Previously he worked at Price Waterhouse where he qualified as a chartered accountant. Andy is head of the Schroders London-based pan-European small and mid-cap team.

Judith Mackenzie, Downing LLP

Judith joined Downing in October 2009. Previously she was a partner at Acuity Capital managing AIM-quoted VCT and IHT investments and a small-cap activist fund. Prior to Acuity, Judith spent nine years as a senior investment manager with Aberdeen Asset Management Growth Capital as Co-Fund Manager of the five Aberdeen VCT, focusing on technology and media investments in both listed and private companies. Judith is Chair of the Quoted Companies Alliance and is an active member on boards both in the private and public arenas. Judith founded Downing Fund Managers in 2010, the boutique investment arm of Downing LLP.

Rich Ricci, Panmure Gordon

Rich joined Panmure Gordon in March 2020. Prior to joining, Rich actively invested in and held executive roles with technology-led businesses encompassing alternative banking providers, game development, and a stock exchange.  Previously, Rich worked for Barclays, where he held a number of senior leadership roles during his 19-year tenure including Co-CEO of Corporate and Investment Banking, and COO of Barclays Global Investors.

Jim Armitage, The Sunday Times

Jim has been business editor of The Sunday Times since August 2021. Previously, he was business editor of the Evening Standard for five years, moving there from The Independent and i newspapers. Jim has been nominated for numerous press awards for his work, including uncovering the "Laundromat" of international money laundering through London; exposing the London Capital and Finance scandal; and his launch of The Independent's Voices in Danger website, campaigning for the protection of local journalists working in conflict zones.

David Buik

David is a veteran of the City, recently retiring after almost 60 years in Britain’s financial industry. He started at Philip Hill Higginson Erlangers, later working for RP Martin, Kirkland Whitaker, London Deposit Agencies, Money Market Agencies, MY Marshall, City Index Group, BGC Partners and Panmure Gordon. The companies he has worked for mostly involved financial spread betting. David has appeared frequently as a financial pundit on the BBC, Bloomberg Television, CNN International ABC News (Australia) and LBC Radio. Additionally, he was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2016 New Year Honours for services to financial services.

James Wood, Winterflood Securities

James has over 30 years’ experience in the City, initially joining the Asset Management department of Montagu Loebl Stanley (part of the Robert Fleming Group) in 1986 before going on to work at Greig Middleton, Seymour Pierce Butterfield and Henry Cooke Lumsden, followed by 16 years in corporate broking and institutional sales (latterly as Director of Equities at Charles Stanley Securities). James is a member of the AIM Advisory Group. He joined Winterflood Securities in November 2015 as a corporate resource and small cap specialist.

Sir Robin Saxby, FREng HonFRS

Sir Robin was born in 1947 in Derbyshire and attended the University of Liverpool, where he gained a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electronics in 1968.

In 1991 he joined Cambridge-based ARM as their first CEO and built it to "a global giant" with offices round the world. He was chief executive from 1991 to 2001, and subsequently chairman from 2001 to 2006. It was at ARM that he made his real impact on the electronic industry. 

When he was appointed CEO in 1991, he took 12 engineers from Acorn Computers into the newly formed joint venture between Acorn and Apple Inc. With a limited budget of a $1.5 million investment from Apple, he made those 12 engineers into one of the most formidable management teams in the industry. In a memorable early meeting, he persuaded one of the engineers to volunteer to become the VP of marketing, another the VP of sales, and so on. Saxby also introduced the licensing model for selling RISC microprocessors, which led to a 95% market share in the mobile phone sector.

During his 10 years as CEO, he made ARM the most valuable company in the Cambridge cluster, with a market capitalisation of over $10bn. ARM under his leadership became a global company with offices in many countries and licences taken by all significant semiconductor companies in the world. This is a unique achievement for a British company, especially in electronics.

Since his retirement from ARM, he has become a tireless promoter of young entrepreneurs and is involved in a number of start-up companies which he supports with advice, finance and infinite patience. He has dedicated time to mentoring young entrepreneurs, helping them through difficult times and never losing faith in them.